Chinese hackers are believed to have broken into US government computer networks to steal the sensitive details of four million federal workers.
The Department of Homeland Security admitted the ‘shocking’ breach yesterday with one security expert calling it an ‘attack against the nation’. It is now feared the stolen data could be used to blackmail, defraud or impersonate federal employees – and the FBI has launched an investigation.
An unnamed US official claimed the hack of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has the potential to affect every federal agency – including intelligence services and
President Obama’s office.
The OPM, the government’s human resources department, handles hundreds of thousands of sensitive security clearances and background investigations on prospective
employees each year. It’s estimated that there are about 4.2 million federal employees, including 1.5 million who serve as uniformed military personnel.
The Washington Post has cited government officials as saying that Chinese hackers were behind the breach, which took place at the beginning of May. But the Chinese
Embassy in Washington has dismissed the claims as ‘irresponsible’, stating that such attacks would not be allowed under Chinese law.
The embassy’s spokesman Zhu Haiquan said: ‘Jumping to conclusions and making hypothetical accusations is not responsible and counterproductive. ‘Chinese laws prohibit
cyber-crimes of all forms. China has made great efforts to combat cyber-attacks in accordance with Chinese laws and regulations.’
But Susan Collins, a Maine Republican and member of the Senate intelligence committee, said the hackers were based in China.
The hack is just the latest in a series of major breaches that have shown the vulnerability of the federal government. He said it appeared similar to those carried out by nation states
for the purpose of espionage.
China and the US have been sparring over cyber-security for years, with America accusing Chinese government military officers of sustained hacking of US firms for economic
advantage. In May last year, the US justice department filed a 31-count indictment against five Chinese military officials operating under hacker aliases and accused them of
breaching the computer sytems of a half-dozen steel companies and producers of solar and nuclear technology.
Chinese authorities have denied all previous accusations. The FBI and Department of Homeland Security are said to be leading the investigation into the latest breach. In a
statement, the FBI announced it ‘will continue to investigate and hold accountable those who pose a threat in cyberspace.’ A security expert has slammed America’s anti-
hacking system, calling it a ‘failure’. Morgan Wright of the Center for Digital Government, an advisory institute, said the US ‘would be better off outsourcing their security to the
private sector where’s there at least some accountability’.
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